Construction hiring rises in Columbus

Columbus was the only city in Ohio and one of only two dozen cities nationally to add construction jobs between June 2009 and June 2010.

The gain was modest - 4percent or 1,200 jobs, according to data released this week by the Associated General Contractors of America based on U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

Columbus was the only city in Ohio and one of only two dozen cities nationally to add construction jobs between June 2009 and June 2010.

The gain was modest - 4percent or 1,200 jobs, according to data released this week by the Associated General Contractors of America based on U.S. Department of Labor statistics.

A clutch of big institutional projects account for virtually all the gains in Columbus, industry insiders said.

"It's an unusual situation we have in Columbus right now, with a number of very large projects under way that are keeping employment higher," said Kyle Rooney, vice president and general manager of Turner Construction in Worthington.

He named the Nationwide Children's Hospital expansion and two Battelle expansion projects as examples.

The flip side, Rooney said, is that "lower- and mid-sized projects are nowhere to be found. ... It's anybody's guess when a real recovery will happen in commercial construction, since it depends on factors including financing, demand and a general return of a stable economy."

Still, Columbus is "blessed to have a very broad market" that includes more recession-resistant industries such as education and research, said Richard J. Hobbs, executive vice president of Associated General Contractors of Ohio. He cautioned, though, that small gains in Columbus and elsewhere aren't yet cause for celebration.

"The number are pretty pathetic nationwide," Hobbs said. "And though the numbers are up, up from what? Last year was pretty disappointing. It's a move in the right direction, but it's only a small step."

Ohio ranked 21st of 50 states and the District of Columbia with a 5percent loss of construction jobs, compared with 7 percent nationally.

The job loss came despite the government's economic recovery program, and losses could mount when the stimulus efforts end, the contractors group warned.

"Construction nationally is still losing jobs, even six months after the rest of the economy has started gaining jobs," said Ken Simonson, the group's chief economist, who did the analysis.

In June, for example, the U.S. unemployment rate was 9.5 percent. For the construction industry, it was 20 percent, Simonson said. (A state figure by industry is not available.)